All ‘Good’ as Warriner earns Ofsted praise

The Warriner School, Bloxham had a 'Good' Ofsted report. Head, Dr Annabel Kay, right, with some of the 6th form students.

Published:09:00Sunday 14 December 2014

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Teachers, governors and parents of The Warriner School are celebrating a positive Ofsted report which praises teaching and student progress.

The Ofsted inspection took place in November and said that head, Dr Annabel Kay, senior leaders and governors have created a ‘culture of high expectations among staff’.

Ofsted inspector Genevieve Usher said: “The majority of students make good progress from average starting points. The school celebrated its highest ever GCSE results with two thirds of year 11 students gaining A*- C grades in five or more GCSEs including maths and English.”

The new Warriner sixth form is good, offering a range of well-taught courses and is a caring and supportive community.

Ms Usher said the school was not yet ‘outstanding’ because the quality of marking does not always give students time to respond to feedback.

Information about students’ progress is not used effectively enough by all teachers and improvements to sixth form admissions and provision have yet to be put in place.

The first AS results from the new sixth form, with 103 students, were comparable with full A-levels.

Ms Usher added: “The high quality of teaching indicates results in 2015 will be at least good, if not better.”

Dr Kay said: “It’s a smaller sixth form than other local schools because of space restrictions.

“It has been running for just over a year and it is that factor that triggered this Ofsted inspection. We would not have expected another for a couple of years.”

Two thirds of Warriner pupils achieved five A*-C GCSE grades, including maths and English – better than the national average of 55 per cent and placing it in the top fifth of Oxfordshire schools.

The GCSE English and maths results alone were even higher, with 81 per cent achieving an A* -C grade in English and 80 per cent in maths.

The Warriner has fewer pupils from poor families or ethnic minorities compared to the national average, but a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs.

Dr Kay said this was because parents choose the school for its resources for nurturing such students and its autistic base.

She added: “I am delighted we have had the highest level of recognition of all the amazing things we have achieved recently, particularly in the sixth form. Results have proved we continue to teach our children to succeed.”

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